Improvement in whiffletree-hook



1. AfHAMMON.

Whiffletree Hook.

Patented June 15, 1869.

Invenz'ar, Q a 7 @atrnt chitin.

JOHN A. HAMMON, OF FHANCONIA, MINNESOTA.

' Letters Patent No. 91,230, dated Jane 15, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN WHIII'LE'IREE-HOOK.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN A. HAMMO'N, of Franconia, in the county of Ghisago, and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WhitHetree-Hooks; and I do hereby-declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, like letters indicating like parts wherever they occur.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

My invention relates to hooks for whiflietrees; and

It consists in constructing the hook in a peculiar manner, to; prevent the, tug or trace from becoming accidentally unhooked, as, hereinafter more fully explained.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved hook as applied to a whifiietree, and

Figure 2 is a side view of a portion of the same.

A great variety of devices has been made, from time to time, for the purpose of securely fastening the tugs or traces of horses to their whiffiet-rees; but most of these devices have been constructed with springs or hinged joints, thereby rendering them more complicatedand expensive to make; and manyof them, when made-either do not effectually prevent the tug from becoming detached when slackened, as in going down hill, or are diflicult to release when necessary.

The object of my invention is to obviate these objections, and, at the same time, produce a simple, cheap, yet strong and efiicient device for the purpose intended, and that can be made by ordinary blacksmiths.

In the accompanying drawings- A represents. the-end of an ordinary whiflietree, upon which is secured the hook O, by its socket or ferrule B, as shown in fig. 1, though, if preferred, the ferrule B may be dispensed with, and the book be secured in any other manner, as is often done with other styles of hooks.

The hook 0 is formed as represented in the drawings, and is simply a plain bent piece of metal, its inner part being turneddirectly backward, in a straight line, toward the front side of the whifiietree, parallel with its outer part, but, of course, stopping short of reaching the whifiictree, there being left suflicient space between its end and the whiffletree to permit the eye D, which is to be attached to the tug or trace, to he slipped over its end.

Upon the end of the book 0, I form a small lozengeshaped knob or cross-piece, e, which stands vertical, as represented in fig. 2, this knob or guard being made of such a size as to permit the eye D to pass over it, Eben the eye is turned up, as represented in red in This knob e is forged solid with the hook, and, consequently, will always retain its position in relation to the hook; and, when the eye D is slipped over'it, there is no danger of its becoming detached accidentally, while, at the same time, it is only necessary to turn up the eye, to unhook it.

By this means, I am able to construct an extremely simple, cheap, and efficient device.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim, is-

The whifiietree-hook 0, provided with the vertical, lozenge-shaped knob or guard e, substantially as shown and described.

J. A. HAMMON.

Witnesses:

J. S. GROVE, CHARLES Vrmms. 

